Use of mobile communication devices is prevalent in society today. These devices store, display and manipulate information. Generally, the mobile communication devices being delivered to end-users contain standard preset information. End-users then customize the device according to their preferences by storing additional personal information (e.g. adding a personal phonebook) or manipulating the factory preset information (e.g. replacing the factory wallpaper with a personal photo). As such, each device, over time, will store personal information about the user of the device.
Over a period of time, the device storing the user's personal information may be reassigned, passed-on, or otherwise repurposed for a variety of reasons. For example, the user may have decided to upgrade to a newer mobile communication device, or the device may need to be repaired. The used devices with the user's personal information may be repurposed, repaired, refurbished and provided to another user.
In order to repurpose, repair, or refurbish used mobile communication devices, it is generally required that any personal data and customizations be removed, and the content of the device reset to contain only the standard preset desired information such that any personal information and customizations stored therein are not apparent to the next user. In many devices, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will provide a software tool, either on the device itself or through an external source, to reset the content of the device to standard factory preset information. This functionality is sometimes referred to as a “factory-reset”. The factory-reset of a mobile communication device has two purposes: firstly, to ensure that private personal content is not transferred to another user, and secondly, to provide the next recipient of device with a user experience similar to that of interacting with the content of a new phone. However, the factory-reset function may not always successfully remove all customization and personal information. For example, the factory-reset software may only remove personal data and customization in memory that are normally accessible through supported customization means and overlook the user content forced on the phone through various cracks, hacks or other non-OEM supported means.
As the number of reused mobile communication devices and the value of personal data and privacy increases, there is a need for a system and method to verify user-accessible user content of a second-hand mobile communication device to determine whether it is free from user customizations and personal data from the device's previous owner.